Bøker av Darcy Burke

Miss Lucinda Parnell est à bout de ressources. Après son échec cuisant sur le Marché du Mariage, elle doit se résoudre à quitter la Société. Dans l'espoir de gagner assez d'argent pour se retirer à la campagne avec sa grand-mère, elle se déguise en homme pour écumer les tripots londoniens. Mais le comte de Dartford, un Insaisissable qu'elle n'aurait jamais espéré côtoyer, la démasque en un tournemain. Quand il insiste pour jouer le rôle de protecteur, Lucy craint que ses rêves d'indépendance ne partent en fumée.Andrew Wentworth, comte de Dartford, a bâti un mur autour de ses émotions après avoir perdu toute sa famille. Il pense pouvoir assurer la sécurité de Miss Parnell sans abaisser ses défenses, mais elle se montre excitante et irrésistible. Plus leur relation se développe, plus il est déterminé à la maintenir à distance. Rien ne l'obligera à revivre l'angoisse de la perte. L'amour est le seul risque qu'il n'a pas le courage de prendre.

Quand Miss Eleanor Lockhart se retrouve subitement sans domicile et sans argent, trouver un emploi est sa seule option. Compromise pour avoir succombé au charme d'un vaurien presque dix ans plus tôt, elle a la chance d'être engagée comme dame de compagnie et se promet de se conduire de manière exemplaire. Elle ne devrait absolument pas se trouver dans les bras d'un homme qui pourrait finir de ruiner sa réputation...Titus St. John, duc de Kendal, est surnommé Le Duc Inaccessible. Mystérieux et intimidant, il ne côtoie la Société qu'une seule fois par an pour le bal de sa belle-mère. Dix ans auparavant, il se conduisait comme un débauché désinvolte jusqu'à ce que son inconséquence ne provoque la déchéance d'Eleanor Lockhart, et n'aboutisse à sa retraite volontaire. Maintenant qu'elle est de retour, elle a besoin de son aide. Mais en essayant de la sauver, il risque simplement de ruiner sa vie une nouvelle fois.

Pendant les deux années qui ont suivi le décès de son mari bien-aimé, Eugenia, duchesse douairière de Kendal, s'est isolée pour le pleurer. Sa cousine organise une partie de campagne et l'a persuadée d'y assister; c'est l'occasion parfaite pour sortir de son deuil. Genie est impatiente de revoir de vieux amis mais elle est choquée d'apprendre le véritable but de cette réunion: permettre à des veuves et des hommes veufs ou célibataires de se rencontrer.Autrefois épris de la jeune Eugenia Aldwick, Edmund Holt, comte de Satterfield, est ravi de revoir Genie à cette partie de campagne. Une attraction mutuelle naît immédiatement entre eux, bien qu'il ait besoin d'une épouse qui puisse lui donner un héritier et qu'elle n'en soit pas capable. Genie adorerait aussi éléver d'autres enfants après avoir perdu sa fille plusieurs années auparavant.Pourront-ils saisir cette seconde chance d'aimer ou laisseront-ils les exigences de son titre et les désirs de son coeur de mère les séparer?

Set in the captivating world of The Untouchables, follow the saga of a trio of siblings who excel at being something they're not. Can a dauntless Bow Street Runner, a devastated viscount, and a disillusioned Society miss unravel their secrets?Anne Pemberton was one of the Season's most popular young misses until her betrothed was arrested for extortion at their wedding. Now a social pariah, she can't help but think back to the dashing gentleman she met before the Season started. Though they spent several afternoons exploring East London together, they never disclosed their names. They did, however, share a kiss, and Anne can't forget it-or him.Former thief Rafe Blackwell is now a respectable gentleman with one goal: to take down the man who murdered his parents. Reunited with Anne, their attraction still blazes strong, and he can't let her get too close, for his heart is forever cold and his mission too desperate. But when Anne seeks to save him-both emotionally and physically-he'll have to embrace the darkness or risk losing the only light he's ever known.

For two years following the death of her beloved husband, Eugenia, the Dowager Duchess of Kendal has grieved and kept to herself. Her cousin is hosting a house party and has persuaded Genie to attend-it's the perfect opportunity to emerge from mourning. Genie is looking forward to seeing old friends but is shocked when she learns the true purpose of the occasion: to match widowed ladies with widowed and unmarried gentlemen.Once infatuated with a young Eugenia Aldwick, Edmund Holt, Earl of Satterfield is thrilled when Genie arrives at the matchmaking house party. Mutual attraction sparks between them immediately, however he is in need of a wife who can provide an heir and she is unable to do so. Genie would also dearly love to be a mother after losing her daughter several years before. Can they embrace a second chance at love or will the demands of his title and the pull of her maternal heart prove too strong to ignore?

The Earl of Buckleigh was once an untitled misfit, tormented at Oxford. Now, he’s overcome his challenges and is eager for the future, especially when his oldest and dearest friend, Bianca, needs help to save the annual holiday party. Ash has a plan to rescue the event, but when the bullies from his youth are up to their old tricks, he must risk everything to put the past behind him and find true love.Furious when her brother refuses to host the St. Stephen’s Day party, Lady Bianca Stafford is committed to giving the villagers their celebration. In Ash, she sees salvation for their local tradition, and perhaps a future she never expected. But her brother has other plans for her—a Season and marriage, and not to Ash. When disaster strikes, everything she cares about is threatened and it will take a miracle—or a hero—to save the day. The Red Hot Earl is inspired by the song and story, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

Graham Kinsley is shocked when he inherits a debt-ridden dukedom, and now he has just one month to repay a loan. He needs an heiress-or find a way to recoup the former duke's losses. When he meets the alluring Arabella, he's entranced. Unfortunately, she's as bankrupt as he is, but if they work together they may be able to recover their fortunes. Though if they keep stealing kisses, they may lose their hearts instead.Arabella Stoke can't afford an attraction to the penniless duke who has vowed to help rescue her family from financial devastation. She needs to find a wealthy husband before her father succumbs to the stress of losing everything. However, as Graham brings them closer to finding the swindler who stole their money, the war between what they want and what they need may ruin them both.

Jack Barrett is an ambitious member of parliament with no time or desire for a wife. When he catches the Duke of Eastleigh's sister sneaking inside one of London's private gentlemen's clubs, he's shocked-and dangerously charmed-and assumes the role of protector, only to discover she has the means to destroy him.Social pariah Lady Viola Fairfax masquerades as a man to pen a column in a popular women's magazine. When she stumbles upon a brewing scandal that implicates a prominent MP, she seizes the chance to establish herself as a real journalist. However, the infuriating and intoxicating man may not be the radical he's purported to be, and the more time they spend together, the more she risks the one thing she's sworn never to do: fall in love.

After one passionate night a decade ago, Valentine Fairfax, Duke of Eastleigh, never forgot Isabelle, the intelligent, witty and forbidden daughter of a head of college at Oxford. However, since suffering a disastrous marriage to an unfaithful wife, the duke has vowed never to succumb to temptation again. Until the day he discovers his friend's governess is the one woman who still haunts his dreams.Once penniless, Isabelle Cortland has finally saved enough money to finance a school for impoverished girls. But when a chance encounter rekindles buried desires, Isabelle knows she can't be a duke's mistress and a headmistress at the same time. No longer a naïve girl, Isabelle won't repeat the past. Not even for one night of surrender...

Breaking free from her structured life, Chloe English quits her high-powered job and moves across the country to work as an art teacher. The simple life is all she hoped it would be until her house burns down, leaving her homeless. When a sexy firefighter swoops in to save the day, she can't believe her luck. He's laid-back and unassuming, everything she's looking for in a man-or so he seems. It turns out he's as ambitious as her ex, comes with a family who could be more stifling than hers, and harbors dark secrets he may never be able to share.Orphaned as a teenager, Derek Sumner has found a place in his best friend's family. However, the love and support of his surrogate parents and siblings can't erase the grief and loss he struggles every Christmas to banish. But this year he meets the fun and sexy Chloe, whose optimism and sense of joy are incredibly contagious. Can she help him face his bleak past so they can forge a happy future?

Lady Lavinia Gillingham prefers rocks and dirt to marriage. Her passion is science, and she's determined to marry if-and only if-she finds a man who supports her interests and intellect. So far, she's managed to avoid attention on the Marriage Mart, but when the Duke of Seduction pens anonymous letters singing her praises, she suddenly become the toast of the ton and matrimony seems imminent.William Beckett, Marquess of Northam possesses the reputation of a rake but is secretly a romantic. Spurned at sixteen and knowing his sister was victimized by Society, he uses music and poetry to fill the void in his soul. As the Duke of Seduction, he uses his skill to help Lavinia, never anticipating she has no desire for assistance or that she could be the balm he needs. But when she's on the verge of becoming engaged, can Beck beat back the shadows of the past and open his heart again?

With her betrothal to a duke in tatters and scandal imminent, Diana Kingman has two choices: live in certain ignominy or flee into obscurity. Diana wants solitude. She never wished to wed in the first place. However, her father will stop at nothing to betroth her to one of the finest titles in the realm…no matter how loathsome the bearer. Escape is Diana's only option, and she'll pay any price to achieve freedom.Universally blamed for the death of his wife and unborn child, Simon Hastings doesn't dispute his guilt over an accident he cannot even remember. He hasn't had a drink since, nor a moment's peace. Determined to be a better man, Simon rescues a young woman in need-only to be accused of kidnapping. They must marry to save him from prison. But how can a man haunted by the love he lost and a woman afraid to get too close find happiness together?

Everyone Nicholas Bateman ever loved has died. Except Violet Caulfield, which must mean he never loved her. Nine years after she threw him over to marry a viscount, Nick is a widowed duke who prefers isolation. When a friend convinces him to leave his lair of self-imposed solitude, he considers taking another wife, provided she agrees to his terms: no emotional attachment of any kind.Now widowed, Lady Violet Pendleton hopes for a second chance with the man she's always loved. But she isn't prepared for the desolation in his soul or the animosity he still bears toward her. Despite those obstacles, it's clear their passion hasn't dimmed. However, the heat between them isn't enough to melt the Duke of Ice, and this time Violet may find herself the jilted party. Can love, once so tragically lost, finally be found?

After killing his opponent in a duel, Lionel Maitland, Marquess of Axbridge, is known as the Duke of Danger. Tortured by guilt, he shields himself with a devil-may-care attitude. However, when he kills another man in another duel, he's beyond redemption, even though it wasn't his fault. He refuses to smear a dead man's name, especially when he's left behind a blameless widow who doesn't deserve an even bigger scandal.Widowed and destitute, Lady Emmaline Townsend must marry the man of her parents' choosing or beg unsympathetic relatives for support. The only way out is to ask for help from the one man she's sworn to hate, the man who owes her anything she asks, the man who killed her husband. They strike a devil's bargain in which passion simmers just beneath the surface. But her dead husband's transgressions come back to haunt them and threaten their chance at love.